Sneak Peek Best of: Beach

This week my family is in Santa Cruz, California celebrating the first birthdays of my niece and nephew (born 24 hours apart to my two sisters – not planned!), as well as a big birthday for my mom. I spend most of my year in a Brooklyn apartment so it feels like true luxury to write this while staring out at the Pacific Ocean. And I’m determined to find a way to bring a little beach back home to Brooklyn. I’m taking notes from the pages of people who have managed to do just that. I rounded up my favorite images of beach homes and am filing away some ideas to bring back to the city with me. (I’d love to make that sea shell mirror, below) (You can see more homes with a beachy feel right here.) –Amy

Image above: In the 1950s beach cottage of Real Living editor Deborah Bibby, the coffee table display is filled travel souvenirs and little nods to the beach locations. See all the photos from Deborah’s colorful English cottage here.

Image above: This beach house just outside Sydney has been in Phoebe Gazal’s family for twenty years. The mirror above the art deco fireplace is the perfect nod to view out the windows. See all the photos of Phoebe’s Pittwater home here.

Image above: Australian Sarah Albrecht finds endless inspiration for her Little Rock Boutique in the ocean. See all the photos of her home in the costal town of Torquay, Australia here.

See more beachy homes after the jump!

Image above: Stylist Annette Joseph’s vacation home in the Cinque Terre is infused with little seaside touches. Her design concept was fishing town meets retro Riviera vibe; this is reflected throughout the home. See all the photos of Annette’s Cinque Terre home here.

Image above: Olivier Dupon and his partner Mark live in a home in Sydney with a amazing view of the harbour bridge. They love aquariums but couldn’t have a real one so Mark ordered this seascape dome by artist Lyndie Dourthe from Paris. See all the photos of their Sydney apartment here.

Image above: Jocie Sinauer filled her New Hampshire home with Scandinavian antiques and beachy accents. See all the photos of her antiqued-filled home here.

Image above: A white oar becomes the perfect beachy hook in Sarah’s Australian Beach Cottage just north of Sydney. See all her beachy touches right here.

Image above: The surfboard above Erika Firm’s son’s bed belonged to his namesake and father’s best friend who was killed in Iraq in 2003. See all the photos of Erika’s California home here.

Image above: This 1920s farmhouse, located on Ferry Beach in Scarborough, Maine, is home to a lobsterman and a designer, so it’s no wonder that the ocean figures prominently in the design. See all the photos from this Maine house right here.

Image above: This Sydney apartment is filled with white and blue. Its beachy feel is an ode to nearby Bondi beach. See all the photos of this lovingly restored home here.

Image above: Jessie Webster fills this wall with all of her favorite things including various rocks and shells from the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard. One of her favorite pieces is the carved wooden face her mother purchased at Nepenthe in Big Sur. See all the photos of her Silver Lake, California home here.

Image above: A little nod to the sea in a 1920s Spanish Mission-style building overlooking Sydney’s Tamarama beach. See all the photos of this relaxing Australian home here.

Image above: A giant poster honoring a meal from the sea hangs in illustrator Joel Holland’s Brooklyn home. See all the photos of his art-filled home here.

Image above: A chalkboard filled with images of a trip to the Oregon coast. Julie Pointer’s entire Portland apartment has an airy beachy feel. See all the photos here.

Image above: Deck decoration in a 1915 Chicago condo is an ode to the beach. Home owner Caroline Lubbers found these old buoys while on vacation in Key West and strung them together to make a mobile. See all the photos of her Chicago home here.

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